


Brother Of Mine

by Tiptapricot



Category: Batman (Comics), Batman - All Media Types, Batman - Fandom
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Batboys, Batfamily, Big Brother!Jason, Bruce Wayne is a Good Dad, Bruce Wayne is a Good Parent, Canonical Character Death, Fluff, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Little Brother!Dick, Mentions of Blood, Mentions of drugging, Mild mentions of gore, One Shot, age switch au, batfam, it’s very brief though
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-25
Updated: 2019-10-25
Packaged: 2021-01-02 22:01:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,039
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21168560
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tiptapricot/pseuds/Tiptapricot
Summary: It had always just been Jason and Bruce. Since that night in crime alley, it had always just been them.But then Bruce goes to the circus and comes back with a little boy, and Jason is forced into the shoes of a big brother.





	Brother Of Mine

**Author's Note:**

> Even though I didn’t write it with a concrete age gap in mind, I think Jason starts out at about 17 and Dick at about 6 or 7.

Jason has been working with Bruce for years by the time Dick comes into the picture. The kid is small, athletic, and bright eyed, clashing horribly with the muted browns and reds of the manor. 

And he takes an _ immediate _ liking to Jason.

Dick follows him everywhere, talking non stop and pestering Jason to play with him. It’s annoying. It’s annoying as _ shit. _ Jason really doesn’t have time for this, but Bruce _ insists _ that he spend time with Dick.

So he does.

And Jason doesn’t like Dick, he _ doesn’t, _ but he makes sure the kid stays out of trouble, knows his way around the manor, that sort of thing. 

He doesn’t hang out with him because he _ wants _ to. He doesn’t help him with homework because he _ wants _ to. He does it because it’s what’s expected of him, because he’s told to. He and Bruce had been just fine before, _ Batman and Sparrow: The Dynamic Duo, _ but Bruce had decided to pick up another kid, and now Jason is stuck babysitting.

So what if Dick makes him laugh? So what if the kid has a fiery temper and a heart to match? So what if he makes the manor feel just a little bit brighter? It doesn’t mean Jason _ has _ to like him.

But he does.

_ Shit. _

***

Jason calls Dick everything under the sun: Kid, Squirt, Bud, even ‘My little brother’ when talking to an interviewer one time (to Dick's utter delight).

And, surprisingly… it’s not that bad.

It’s _ great. _

If he has spare time between school and patrol, Jason sits with Dick in the library and reads him his favorite stories. They fall asleep on the couch more often than not, but Jason doesn’t mind. Trips to the park become normal, Tuesday movie nights unskippable _ (“Sorry Old Man, no patrol tonight, I’m showing squirt Hercules.”), _ manor hijinks a worse pain in Alfred’s neck.

Dick becomes family, and as much as Jason doesn’t want to admit it, he fits _ perfectly. _

***

When Dick finds out about Jason and Bruce’s nightlife, he’s ecstatic. He starts staying up every night to talk to Jason about patrol, eyes wide and shoulders shaking in excitement as Jason describes epic fights on the city’s building tops and long hours spent hiding in the shadows (he only embellishes the stories a _ little _ bit).

One morning, Dick triumphantly announces that he wants to grow up and be a crime fighter. 

“I could be Robin, like my momma used to call me!”

And while the rest of the family is resolutely opposed to letting Dick anywhere _ near _ the hero life, they still let him wear Jason’s (much too big) costume from time to time. 

“Guess this means you’re the ‘Baby Bird’ now, huh Squirt?” Jason says affectionately, ruffling Dick’s hair.

And Dick responds with the fiercest smile Jason has ever seen.

***

One night, Jason wakes up in the cave, head pounding, Dick sleeping softly by his bedside. He remembers going out with Bruce to bust a drug trafficking ring, but nothing much after that. If the bandages are anything to go by, he must’ve been knocked out cold.

He rouses Dick with a soft nudge, the boy blinking blearily at him for a few seconds before he sits bolt upright.

“You’re awake!”

Jason chuckles softly and props himself up on his elbows, the motion making his vision swim for a moment. “‘Course I am. Couldn’t leave you alone with the old man, could I?”

Dick lets out a watery laugh and pulls him into a hug. 

“I thought… When Bruce brought you back, all bloody n’ stuff... I thought you were dead, Jay. I thought” Dick chokes on the last word and starts to cry, pressing his face into Jason’s shoulder. 

“Oh Baby Bird, no no no, It’s okay, I’m alright, I’m here.” Jason whispers, rubbing comforting circles against the small of Dick’s back. “I’m so sorry I worried you Dick. Listen, look at me for a sec,” he pulls Dick off and looks him straight in the eyes, “_ nothing _ can hurt your big bro, alright kiddo?”

Dick sniffles and scrubs at his cheeks.

“You sure?”

Jason smiles and nods. 

“Promise.”

***

The first time Dick gets kidnapped, Jason notices first.

They’re getting ready to leave a gala, late enough to have each made the required appearances, but still early enough to spark a few rumors. Jason is planning to drive Dick home on his motorcycle, _ because the kid just loves riding on the cycle, _ but he can’t seem to find him in the crowd. 

Dick had said he was feeling a bit off earlier, but Jason had chalked it up to nerves. He’d gotten him another glass of apple juice from the bar and settled him in a seating area away from the main crowd. Jason had left Dick to continue socializing, expecting him to be back on his feet within a few minutes like he usually was, and hadn’t thought much of it. But now… 

Now that little bit of paranoia, that piece he carries with him as both Jason Todd-Wayne and as Sparrow, nags at the back of his mind. 

He finds Dick’s juice glass, still half full, sitting on the table, but nothing else out of the ordinary.

When he asks around, Jason can’t find anyone who saw where Dick went, and it’s then that his brain kicks into overdrive.

Jason grabs Dick’s juice glass, a queasy feeling in the pit of his stomach, and steps to the side of the room. Smoothly, and as inconspicuously as he can manage with shaking hands, Jason pulls a small tablet out of his jacket pocket. It’s a modefied version of the ones manufactured by Wayne Tech to detect date rape drugs, used for more potent poisons and sedatives. Bruce had given them to Jason once he’d started coming to parties, _ but they hadn’t given them to Dick yet. _

The tablet fizzes red when it comes in contact with the drink and Jason curses under his breath, rushing back into the crowd.

He tugs Bruce away from a gaggle of reporters and pulls him quickly towards the exit.

“Jason what’s-?”

“It’s Dick. Someone’s got Dick.” And Jason tries to keep his voice level, but he knows Bruce can hear the slight rush of his words, the hint of panic.

“We’ll get him back.”

“I know.”

***

It’s hours before they figure out where Dick’s being held. Jason grows more anxious with each passing minute it takes to suit up, chest tight and breaths coming rough and stilted. 

Bruce grabs hold of his arm just before they climb into the Batmobile.

“What are you doing?” Jason snaps. “We need to go!” 

The grip tightens.

“You’re on edge, Jason, angry. I need you to calm down and _ focus." _

Jason stills for a moment.

“For Dick’s sake.” 

Jason knows, he _ knows, _ but when he sees Dick’s wide eyes, his wrists chafed from the ropes and cheeks wet with tears, he descends in the thugs in a flurry of rage.

Their jaws crunch under his fist, each bruising kick a little more satisfying than the last, a little harder. He keeps landing blows until Bruce grabs his wrist in a death grip, the expression of surprise clear even behind the mask. 

Jason steps back and looks down at his bloodied gloves, red dripping over the black, and up to his little brother’s terrified stare and his stomach drops.

The ride home is silent.

***

“I don’t think I want to be a crime fighter anymore…”

It’s the first thing Dick has said since they got back to the manor, his voice soft and fragile under the comforter. Jason smiles weakly and pulls him into a hug.

“I’m sorry bud.”

“I know.”

***

Over the next few years, the arguments with Bruce get worse. 

Jason is standing at the edge of his bed, shaky hands putting the last few things in his suitcase, cheeks still hot with rage, when a voice rings out from behind him.

“You’re leaving?”

Jason turns sharply to see Dick standing in the doorway, a pack of colored pencils and a sketch pad tucked under one arm. 

“Bud, I-”

“You’re leaving?!”

Jason bites his lip. He can’t seem to find the right words, guilt gnawing at his gut. He has to explain, he has to make him understand.

“Dick… Bruce is... he and I, we... I don’t-” he swallows the words _ I don’t think I can live here anymore _ and lets out a long sigh.

“Baby Bird, I’m so sorry.”

But when he looks up Dick is gone, and a door slams from somewhere down the hall.

***

Cold concrete pressing against his cheek.

Blood dribbling over cracked, swollen lips.

His chest hurts.

His head hurts.

His body hurts.

_ How did he ever think he could do well on his own? _

Another blow slams into his ribs and he screams, the sound dampening into a whimper.

_ How did he ever think he could amount to anything without Bruce? _

Laughter echoes through the warehouse.

A door clicks shut.

_ Not even a year solo and he’d gotten captured. _

Each breath is a labor.

His eyes sting.

His skin burns.

He pushes himself to his hands and knees and inches towards the exit, knees dragging against the floor.

The first try, his fingers slip uselessly off the door handle, leaving a smear of blood in their wake. The second try, he gets a good grip, ignoring the searing pain that erupts through his fingers.

Locked.

He hears the tick of a clock.

His breath hitches.

_ Pathetic. _

Heat kisses his flesh and slides sharp fingers through his hair, enveloping him in a wave of fire that rips through his body.

And Bruce is too late.

And Jason is dead.

***

Bruce arrives back at the manor, to the darkness of the cave, at almost two in the morning. His gloves are still covered with flecks of concrete and wood, the dried blood thankfully too dark to see against the Kevlar.

The corpse is in the trunk of the car, sealed inside a body bag.

_ He has to figure out a cover story. _

_ He has to plan a funeral. _

_ He has to live with letting his son die. _

Because Jason was _ so close, _ just a few miles outside of Gotham. If only he'd caught on quicker, driven faster, maybe... maybe. But he'll never know now, will he? Bruce takes a deep breath and tightens his hold on the steering wheel. 

He shouldn't be thinking about this right now.

Dick and Alfred are waiting for him by the computer, both turning slowly when they hear him approach.

“Dad…” Dick's eyes widen, “where’s Jay?” 

Bruce freezes. 

He can’t. He can’t tell Dick right now. Not this soon, not when it’s so fresh he can still taste the smoke. 

“Dad…? Bruce?” Dick stands up and takes a step forward. “You said you were going to save Jay, what happened? Where is he?!”

Bruce stays silent, letting Alfred usher an increasingly panicked Dick upstairs.

When he’s alone in the darkness of the cave, Bruce collapses in a chair and weeps.

***

Dick is quieter in the following months. 

Most nights, Bruce is interrupted by screams from down the hall. He always gets to Dick as fast as possible, holds him close, and rocks him until he manages to fall back asleep.

After all, Bruce isn’t really sleeping anymore.

The dreams are too vivid.

He’s better off without them.

***

Dick doesn’t go down to the cave anymore, but Bruce has seen the costume, the one he stole. The one he stuffs in the bottom of his backpack when he goes to school, the one he carries around the manor, the one he fiddles with when he’s sitting in bed or doing homework.

Bruce sees the familiar brown and black and red, the colors that make his chest ache, but he doesn’t have the heart to have Dick put it back.

And so a little piece of Jason follows him wherever he goes.

***

Dick is _ furious. _

Because Bruce can't be serious when he says _ this _ guy is going to be his new partner.

Tim Drake is tall and lanky, with dark hair and blue eyes _ so very much like Jason’s. _ He’s maybe four or five years older than Dick at _ most, _ with an obsession for photography and the gall to think he can become a hero.

Because what about Jason? Bruce can’t just replace him, not after everything that happened. 

How _ could _ he?

Dick yells and screams, but it doesn't get him anywhere.

So instead he tries avoiding Tim as much as possible. 

It’s not easy. Tim spends most of his time at the manor (even though he _ has _ parents, Dick notes), moving between the cave and the kitchen.

He always talks to Dick if they run into each other, carrying a pleasant conversation even if Dick makes a point not to respond.

_ “Hey Dick, how was school? I joined photography club today. I’m excited to show them my composition skills.” _

_ “Oh hi! Do you want some cereal? I got some out for myself but I can pour you a bowl if you want.” _

It's slow, but Dick starts to notice that Tim is actually… alarmingly comforting to have around. He doesn’t force his way into Dick’s life, he doesn’t make him reply when he talks to him, he’s careful about what he says, about how he talks about… the job. 

And Dick’s thankful for that, even though he doesn’t think he’ll ever be able to fully relax around Tim, he’s thankful. And it gets better… over time.

A year passes and Tim’s parents are killed. He moves into the manor and takes the room a few doors down from Dick’s, not Jason’s room, but close. 

Dick knows Tim is struggling, not just with his parents’ deaths, but with the damage they left him with. He hears talking late at night, Bruce using the same, smooth, low voice he uses to calm Dick down when he’s scared. He can’t really make out words, but once or twice Dick is _ sure _ he hears Tim call Bruce Dad.

One morning, he and Tim lock eyes over the dining room table. It’s just them that morning, Bruce and Alfred having left much earlier for a company meeting in Metropolis.

Tim looks tired, the bags under his eyes darker than usual, his hair mussed and tangled. 

They look at each other. 

A moment passes. 

Then another.

“‘M sorry about your folks.” Dick mumbles. “And ‘m sorry for being kind of a jerk.” He adds.

The corners of Tim’s eyes crinkle when he smiles.

“Thanks kiddo.”

And even though those words make Dick’s heart stop, make his hands tighten around the table cloth, he manages to hide it until he gets to his room.

There, he has privacy.

There, he doesn’t have to block out the images of dark hair and a wide smile and a loud laugh.

There, Dick still has Jason’s costume hidden under his bed.

He takes it out when he needs to talk.

_ “You wouldn’t believe what Tim did today. He gave away their position on patrol and got sent back because a thug broke his arm. That never would’ve happened to you, huh Jay? Nothing could ever hurt you.” _

_ “The manor’s still so quiet. Remember that time we played tag and you broke one of Alfred’s tea pots? He was so mad. You grabbed my hand and we hid in the garden for hours. Remember that Jay?” _

_ “Hey… I miss you.” _

***

It’s a rainy night and the manor is quiet. Bruce and Tim are out on patrol, investigating a new string of chemical robberies, and Alfred has long since gone to sleep.

Dick is sitting on his bed with Jason’s costume spread out over his lap, crying quietly and rumpling the fabric between his fists. 

It was the same nightmare he’s been having for the past two weeks. Jason is drowning in a pool of inky black liquid, sinking slowly below the surface. Dick tries to hold on, to pull Jason out, he always tries, but Jason slips into the darkness, just like he always does. 

But this time… this time Jason had been _ screaming. _

Dick can still hear it, the cries ringing in his head. Ear splitting, blood curdling, bouncing against his skull like a pinball.

He takes another shuddering breath, shoulders shaking.

He hasn’t had a nightmare like that in years.

Dick almost doesn’t hear it over the patter of rain.

_ Almost. _

A light knock, coming from his window.

Dick stands up and hides the costume back under his bed, wiping uselessly at his cheeks as he makes his way to the window.

He pauses for a moment before opening the curtains, letting a faint sliver of moonlight spill into his bedroom.

Nothing’s there. 

The world outside is dim and dark and filled with the distant sound of thunder.

Dick is about to turn away when something large crashes through his window, tumbling into the bookshelf next to his dresser. It takes a few seconds for him to recover, to make out the shape of a human in the dim light and see the glint of metal hidden under their jacket. 

Dick retreats towards the door and watches as the stranger gets to their feet. The jacket is leather, thick and sturdy, covering a dark Kevlar body suit and several loaded holsters. Dick tries to make out a face, but the head is smooth and featureless, gleaming red in the low light from the window.

“Who are you? What do you want?” 

The stranger takes a step forward, reaching out.

Dick takes a step back.

The stranger hesitates, hand recoiling, and settles awkwardly against Dick’s dresser.

After a moment of silence the stranger sighs.

“This isn’t how I wanted this to go.”

They shift and press a finger to the back of their helmet, releasing it with a soft hiss.

With the helmet removed, Dick can make out a mop of black hair and ginger roots, the outline of a mask, the curve of a jawline.

The stranger steps closer, face coming further into the light, and Dick feels fresh tears spill down his cheeks.

“Jay?”

“Hey Baby Bird. Sorry I took so long.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!
> 
> This was originally posted on my Tumblr, so feel free to drop me a fic request over there under the same username!
> 
> Have a great day y’all
> 
> Edit: I do plan on adding more to this AU in the future, just not sure when right now. Thank you for all the support!
> 
> Edit: I hope to come back to this someday, however my fandom interests have shifted away from DC and it’s no longer a priority. Thank you all for giving this fic so much love, have a wonderful day!


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